Datsun 411 Wagon Project

[DannyO]

Bought the 411 from a Datsun enthusiast that I know for a fact is somewhere on this site. I am hoping to do a full restore with my dad. I will be updating this thread whenever I have the chance to work on it. 

 

First Update 11-16-15: Purchased the car on 11-14-15.

 

Gave it a quick wash at the local car wash and then dried it off with rags. Managed to get it in to the garage with it having no brakes and an engine that doesn't run. 

 

 

Found this odd plate in the engine bay that listed the car as a 510. When compared to the title, unsurprisingly, the numbers did not match. With the help from some people over on the Datsun subreddit we were able to find a VIN number that matched the title etched in to the engine bay (denoted by the red arrow below) and remove the panel with the 510 label (denoted by the blue arrow below).

 

 

Appears to be missing the brake master cylinder and, fairly obviously, a battery. That is pretty much all we have found so far. It will be a while before we begin removing the engine and transmission. When the time comes there will be plenty of pictures. If anyone knows where we can buy windows and window seals for this car it would be greatly appreciated if you could let us know.

 

Another picture of the engine. 
Thanks for stopping by.

[Doctor510]

OOOPPPS!  Wrong tag in engine compartment.  Engine is a J13 1300 CC.  Wagon should be ID'd as a PL411  I think.

[DannyO]

Messed up test post. Don't know how to delete.

[DannyO]

OOOPPPS!  Wrong tag in engine compartment.  Engine is a J13 1300 CC.  Wagon should be ID'd as a PL411  I think.

I'm still not quite sure why that was there in the first place however we did find correct VIN on the car (red arrow). We just pulled the incorrect tag. Thanks for confirmation on the engine though. We found the number 1300 written on the block so we assumed it was a J13.

[bananahamuck]

Looks good,, does it not currently run?? 

 

 

 

 

You can't delete posts ,, but you can edit it later so when you figure out how to post ,,, it looks like nothing ever happened. :thumbup:

[DannyO]

Looks good,, does it not currently run?? 

 

 

 

 

You can't delete posts ,, but you can edit it later so when you figure out how to post ,,, it looks like nothing ever happened. :thumbup:

Car does not currently run because the spark plugs are pulled. However, when we bought it the guy said he tested it and it was getting compression in the 4th cylinder.

Thanks for the advice on posting. I have read a few posts on here over the past few months but just recently made my account so I'm still figuring everything out.

[hobospyder]

you didn't pick this up outside of sedro woolley did you? i've seen one recently and can't remember what colour it was. 

[Draker]

Welcome. Nice work with the pictures and intro post.

 

Please take great care of this car. It's rare.. unique, and sought after.

 

If you need parts, post a wanted ad in the classifieds.

 

 

Good luck. Looking forward to seeing what comes next.

[Charlie69]

Sweet goon.  AzHitman has one and did a resto on it.  He can possibly tell you some good info.  you can contact him on the NICO Club forum.

[mklotz70]

Here's some info on the brake m/c.  Even if you don't go with discs, a dual reservoir m/c is still way safer and worth the effort!!

 

http://community.ratsun.net/topic/10125-410411-disc-brake-mod/page-7?do=findComment&comment=182688

[DannyO]

you didn't pick this up outside of sedro woolley did you? i've seen one recently and can't remember what colour it was. 

Picked the car up in North Everett so not quite as far north as Sedro Woolley.

[DannyO]

Here's some info on the brake m/c.  Even if you don't go with discs, a dual reservoir m/c is still way safer and worth the effort!!

 

http://community.ratsun.net/topic/10125-410411-disc-brake-mod/page-7?do=findComment&comment=182688

Thanks for the info. We were thinking about doing a disk brake conversion but before we start modifying we are going to return the car back to stock and then go from there.

[DannyO]

Welcome. Nice work with the pictures and intro post.

 

Please take great care of this car. It's rare.. unique, and sought after.

 

If you need parts, post a wanted ad in the classifieds.

 

 

Good luck. Looking forward to seeing what comes next.

Seeing that my family's 2002 Honda Odyssey is still in pristine condition, taking good care of cars runs in my blood. With something as special as this little Datsun I am going to give it my all to keep this car looking nice. 

The car does need quite a lot of parts so expect to see a new thread over there sometime soon.

Thanks for the advice.

[hobospyder]

Picked the car up in North Everett so not quite as far north as Sedro Woolley.

ok, that means I can possibly see what the guy does with it.

 

How far south are you?

[Draker]

Seeing that my family's 2002 Honda Odyssey is still in pristine condition, taking good care of cars runs in my blood. With something as special as this little Datsun I am going to give it my all to keep this car looking nice. 

The car does need quite a lot of parts so expect to see a new thread over there sometime soon.

Thanks for the advice.

 

Good to hear. Often times we see these cars get picked up because someone sold it for next to nothing.. before you know it the engine is out, and the owner is asking how much to cut out of the firewall to swap a Small Block Chevy... and then they want to flare it to fit their ugly ass knockoff wheels. Then it hits craigslist again after they lost interest.. and it's ruined. Happens way to often.

[MikeRL411]

 

Here's some info on the brake m/c.  Even if you don't go with discs, a dual reservoir m/c is still way safer and worth the effort!!

 

http://community.ratsun.net/topic/10125-410411-disc-brake-mod/page-7?do=findComment&comment=182688

A dual Master cylinder on a WPL411 is a waste of time! Not to mention all the replumbing of brake lines required. You have only drum brakes all around! Go for the replacement RL411 new master cylinder that I posted several moons ago! No! I am too lazy to give you the EXACT reference! No spoon feeding. That's what the search function is all about. It is a genuine [although JDM product with a DATSUN marked production box] Datsun replacement unit designed for the 310 JDM roadster but "Warning, wrong side brake line connection" which makes it perfect for export 411 sedans! I have one in my RL411 sedan and it fits and functions perfectly. By the way, My RL411 has front disc brakes, and the replacement new brake master cylinder does an excelent job, so any future front disc brake upgrade should not be a problem! If you want to autocross or otherwise abuse your 411, you can switch the slightly smaller brake fluid receptical that the new unit comes with [but with a fluid filter insert that the original dosen't have]the slightly larger capacity unit on the RL411 master cylinder, but there is really no performance improvement unless you are a "drifter" fanatic. "Use it but don't abuse it."

[MikeRL411]

 

Sweet goon.  AzHitman has one and did a resto on it.  He can possibly tell you some good info.  you can contact him on the NICO Club forum.

 

His is a WRL411 [1.6 liter modified and uprated roadster engine to 2 liter] not a WPL411 [J1.3 liter base engine model], so there are subtile differences, but he is a good and reliable reference! The NICO forum is the best starting point for this restoration!

[mklotz70]

I stand corrected.......safety upgrades are never a good idea......got it :)

[DannyO]

Update 2 (11/18/15): Minor Problems

I have already gone over some of the problems with this car however before we start repairs I would like to mention a list of non-critical issues that we will be addressing in the future.

 

Seat upholstery.

 

 

Door Frames.

 

 

Broken plexiglass rear driver-side window.

 

 

Overall floor pan rust.

 

Other fun stuff I did not get pictures of:

• There is other bubbling in the paint where surface rust is showing up.
• Rust in the engine bay.
• Rust in the trunk
• Rear driver side door will not close.
• Drivers window gets stuck in the up position.
• Trunk latch not installed.
• Broken rear left brake light cover.
• Leaking valve stem on rear drivers-side wheel.
• Missing brake master cylinder. (We have two that we found in the car however they are completely rusted over beyond return.)
• Missing bolts to hold the radiator in. (There is currently 1 bolt doing the job of 4.)
• Found 2 drums and 8 pads are sitting in the trunk. One of the pads is rusted down into two separate pieces held together by the rubber.

I am aware that some of these are important to getting this car on the road again. However, they are not essential to the engine being up and running again which takes priority. Work on these items will most likely be delayed until the engine and transmission is at least out of the car. We will fix the rust whenever my friends are free to angle grind for an entire day and we can drive over to Pullman and pick up my uncles TIG welder.

Thanks for stopping by.

[MikeRL411]

The rear driver's side window is flat safety glass. Any auto glass shop should be capable of cuttind and edge polishing a replacement window when you are ready to complete your repairs.

 

Not for the faint hearted but, the reupholstery of the seats is really simple. I reupholstered my 2 front buckets myself. Lay replacement vinyl assuming you have vinyl [the pattern is Wallaby for an exact match to the factory vinyl] over the individual "panels" of the seat and cut with a one inch margin. Buy some vinyl whiplace [don't know what the real name is] and foam backing and sew away using up your inch of overlap.

[DannyO]

The rear driver's side window is flat safety glass. Any auto glass shop should be capable of cuttind and edge polishing a replacement window when you are ready to complete your repairs.

 

Not for the faint hearted but, the reupholstery of the seats is really simple. I reupholstered my 2 front buckets myself. Lay replacement vinyl assuming you have vinyl [the pattern is Wallaby for an exact match to the factory vinyl] over the individual "panels" of the seat and cut with a one inch margin. Buy some vinyl whiplace [don't know what the real name is] and foam backing and sew away using up your inch of overlap.

Thanks for the advice. Should come in handy later on.

[DannyO]

Semi-Update: Going to pull the engine on Saturday so y'all can expect that post later that day. Might try to record a video documenting the process however I still need to figure out how I will do that.

[Draker]

Can't wait to see it. 

[Charlie69]

Mike Klotz I believe has done disk fronts for these 411 goons.  If you decide to go to front disk at a later date send Mike a PM.

 

MikeRL411 I am aware of the engine difference in this goon and AZhitman's goon.  It is still a wagon and AZhitman might be able to steer DannyO to some needed parts or GIY info.  MikeRL411 is also a good source of info.

 

Was out at AZhitman's house a few weeks ago

[DannyO]

Semi-Update: Did not manage to get the time to pull the engine. Got the car up on jack stands and took off 3 wheels. One has locking lug nuts that we cannot manage to get off. Any advice would be appreciated. We looked in to something like this http://goo.gl/nEf6Cz if anyone has experience with something of this sort I was wondering how well they work.